Lois Simpson
Lois Ann (Meils) Simpson, 70, Spring Hill, died Monday, July 3, 2000, at her home. She was born Oct. 3, 1929, in Wellington, Kan., to Arthur R. and Merle Meils, and was reared in Milton, Kan. She received a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Kansas. She married Loren E. Simpson Feb. 15, 1963, in Lawrence. She was a teacher in the Olathe school district, before taking time out to rear her family. The family moved to Clarinda, Iowa, where she volunteered for Meals on Wheels, the public library, and the Clarinda Methodist Church, where she also was a member. The family then moved to Brookings, S.D., where she managed a bookstore for several years, before retiring to Spring Hill in 1994. She was preceded in death by her husband, Loren E. Simpson; and a brother, Warren Meils. Survivors include a son, Gregory Simpson, Lewisville, Texas; two daughters, Kathryn Polsley, Spring Hill, and Rebecca Witherington, Charlottesville, Va.; her mother, Merle Meils, Spring Hill; a brother, Richard Meils, Ponte Vedro Beach, Fla.; and six grandchildren. The funeral will be 10 a.m. Saturday at the Olathe Wesleyan Church, Olathe. Burial will be at the Rose Hill Cemetery, South Haven, Kan. Memorial contributions may be made to the Olathe Wesleyan Church, 15320 S. Ridgeview Road, Olathe, KS 66062.

Marvin & Loree Simpson
Marvin Simpson, 73, and his wife, Loree Simpson, 80, of Trenton, Mo., died Saturday, Feb. 24, 2001, as a result of a vehicle accident south of Harlingen, Texas. The Simpsons had wintered in Weslaco, Texas, for the past 20 years. Marvin was born on Sept. 10, 1927, at Pocahontas, Iowa, the son of Richard and Ada Cleo Lankford Simpson. At an early age, he moved with his parents to the Carlisle, Iowa, community where he lived until he was 16 and the family moved to the Spickard community. He joined the Merchants Marine in 1945 and served in the South Pacific for two years. He was recalled to service in 1951 when he entered the United States Army and served in the Korean War. He returned to Spickard after his discharge and began employment at the Peoples State Bank at Spickard and, later, the American Bank in Trenton. He retired in 1988. On Oct. 31, 1948, he married Phyllis Jean Cox at Trenton, Mo. She preceded him in death on March 18, 1987. He and Loree were married on Aug. 5, 1989, at Trenton and had lived all of their married lives in Trenton. Loree was born March 22, 1920, at Princeton, Mo., the daughter of Elmer and Corda Cross Johnson. She moved to Trenton at an early age with her parents, where she graduated from Trenton High School. She also attended and graduated from Trenton Junior College. On June 9, 1957, she was married to Thomas L. Hopkins at Trenton, Mo. He preceded her in death on Dec. 18, 1987. She was an office representative for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company for 29 years working out of the Trenton office. Both Marvin and Loree were members of the Wesley United Methodist Church and the Good Samaritan. Loree also was involved in various other community and civic organizations. Loree was preceded in death by an infant granddaughter, Shonna Leigh Harris. Marvin was preceded in death by an infant son, Kenan J. Simpson; two brothers, Virgil and Bill Simpson, and one infant sister, Minnie Simpson. Mrs. Simpson is survived by two daughters, Cheryl Mclain, Trenton, Mo., and Beverly Rice, Sedalia, Mo.; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Mr. Simpson is survived by two daughters, Sabra Ferguson, Trenton; and Marla Stratton, Olathe; two brothers, Roy Simpson, Trenton; and Fred Volzke, Sioux Falls, S.D.; two sisters, Donna Stoll, Eureka Springs, Ark., and Ann Sheffield, Weslaco, Texas; and three grandchildren. Combined funeral services will be10:30 a.m. Thursday, March 1, at the Wesley United Methodist Church of Trenton. A scheduled family visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Resthaven Mortuary of Trenton. Burial will be in the Resthaven Memorial Gardens of Trenton. In lieu of flowers, the families suggest memorials be left to either the Wesley United Methodist Church, North Central Missouri College or the American Cancer Society.

Lester Skinner
Services for Lester Allen Skinner, 82, Olathe, will be at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 5, 2000, at the Spring Hill Baptist Church. Burial will be at Spring Hill Cemetery. Friends may call from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Bruce Funeral Home in Spring Hill. The family requests contributions to the American Cancer Society. Skinner died Sunday, April 2, 2000, at the Olathe Medical Center. He was born in Harrisonville, Mo. and moved to Spring Hill at the age of 9. He was a truck mechanic at International Harvester in Kansas City, Mo. for 26 years. He was a member of the Sloan Oddfellows No. 729 in Kansas City, Mo., for 53 years. He was a member of the Sloan Rebekah Lodge No. 482 in Kansas City, Mo., Kansas City Encampment No. 27 and I.A.M. Local Union. He was a graduate of Spring Hill High School. He was preceded in death by a brother, Clifford Skinner. Survivors include his wife, Edna Ruby Johnson Skinner of the home; three sons, LeRoy Skinner, Warsaw, Mo., Walter Skinner, Colorado Springs, and Charles Skinner, Basehor; two daughters, Beverly Warford, Tucson, Ariz., and Winona Phelps, Spring Hill; three brothers, Howard Skinner, Napa, Calif., Homer Skinner, Hutchinson, and Virgil Skinner, Spring Hill; a sister, Wanda Meek, Spring Hill;10 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.

Madison Slater
Madison Jane Slater, 1-year-old daughter of John P. and Amy L. Slater, Olathe, died Thursday, March 9, 2000, at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. She was born Oct. 1, 1998, in Overland Park, and had lived in Olathe. She was a member of Prince of Peace Catholic Church. Survivors include her parents, John P. and Amy L. Slater, of the home; three grandparents, Thomas E. Slater, Lenexa, and Gary and Judi Roland, Kansas City, Kan.; a great-grandmother, Alberta Roland, Bixby, Okla.; a great-great-grandmother, Jane Southard, Cherokee, Okla.; five uncles; and four aunts. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m., with the rosary at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, March 12, at the Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, Olathe. The funeral mass will be 10 a.m. Monday, March 13, at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Olathe. Burial will be at Resurrection Cemetery, Lenexa. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Madison Jane Slater Memorial Fund, c/o Bank of America, 175 N. Clairborne Road, Olathe, KS 66062.

Donald Smeall Sr.
Donald Smeall Sr., 51, Olathe, died Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2000, at his home. He was born Jan. 17, 1949, in Grand Island, Neb. He graduated from Wood River High School. He served with the U.S. Army in Germany, 1969-1971, and later graduated from Electronics Institute in Kansas City. He married Janice Trammell in Olathe in 1971. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church, Wood River, Neb., the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Wood River; and the Lenexa Veterans of Foreign Wars. He had worked as an electronics technician for King Radio. Survivors include his wife, Janice, of the home; his mother and stepfather, Loretta Viola and Norman Lee Whitten Sr., Grand Island, Neb.; a son, Donald D. Smeall Jr., Gardener, Kan.; a daughter, Dawn Michelle Saville, Fairfax, Va.; four brothers, Bill Smeall, Bellingham, Wash., Ron Smeall, Tacoma, Wash., Norman Lee Whitten Jr., Grand Island, and Francis Smeall, Omaha, Neb.; three sisters, Dorthea Fairbanks, Pierce, Neb., Joyce Hargons, Grand Island, and Diana Kepford, Bellevue, Neb.; two grandchildren; and his canine companion, Urich. Visitation will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11, at the W.L. Frye and Son Funeral Home chapel, Olathe. The funeral will be 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, at the chapel. Burial will follow at the Olathe Memorial Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Multiple Sclerosis Society or to Canine Companions.

Dr. Alan Smith
Dr. Alan Breese Smith, 87, former pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Osawatomie, died Thursday, Aug. 31, 2000, at his home in Osawatomie. He was born Aug. 8, 1913 in Ponca City, Okla., the son of Nora Burrell Smith and Alan Cleveland Smith, the founding editor of The Ponca City News. He graduated from Ponca City High School and Southern Nazarene University, Bethany, Okla. After several years as a public school music teacher, he joined the U.S. Navy and served during World War II as a gunnery officer aboard the USS Rutilicus. At the end of WWII, he entered San Francisco Theological Seminary where he received a doctorate degree in theology. After graduation, he founded the First Presbyterian Church of Walnut Grove, Calif. In 1952, he became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Alva, Okla. ,where he spent 10 years. In 1963, he was named professor of religion and philosophy at the College of Emporia, and returned to parish ministry in 1975 as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Osawatomie. In retirement, he served area Presbyterian Churches, including serving six years at the Hillsdale Presbyterian Church. He married Ruth H. Lang on Aug. 14, 1938. She survives of the home. He is also survived by a son, Norman Smith, Stevenson, Md.; and two stepgrandchildren. He was preceded in death by three sisters, Nadyne, Kathryn and Juliet. The date of a memorial service is pending. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Kansas City Chorale, 8302 Cherokee, Shawnee Mission, KS 66206.

Bessie Smith
Bessie L. Smith, 71, Olathe, died May 3, 2001, at her home. Smith was born Nov. 29, 1929, in Rantoul, Kan. She is preceded in death by her husband, Edgar Smith, in 1991, and her parents, Millard and Cora Anderson. Survivors include a son, Calvin Larkin, and his wife, Mary, Olathe; a sister, Flora Mae Eggleston, Gardner; two grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at W.L. Frye & Son Mortuary and Crematory, 105 E. Loula. Memorial contributions may be made to a favorite charity of choice.

Beverly Smith
Beverly (Polfer) Smith, 62, Hot Springs, Ark., died Saturday, Feb. 24, 2001, at her home. She was born in Kansas City, Kan., and graduated from DeSoto High School in 1956. She married James Hughes Smith in Irving, Texas, in 1963 and resided there for approximately 10 years, before moving to Houston. They moved to Las Vegas in 1977, where she served as vice president of operations with the Las Vegas Water District until her retirement. In 1997, they purchased a home on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Ark. She was a lifelong member of the Methodist Church. Survivors include her mother, Julia L. Polfer, Lenexa; a sister, Janice Kelly, Overland Park; two brothers, W. Neil Polfer, Tulsa, Okla., and R. Kent Polfer, Mission; four nieces, Kathleen Reeves, Elizabeth, Leigh and Kelby Polfer; three nephews, Greg and Kevin Kelly and James Neil Polfer; one great-niece; and two great-nephews. The visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m., Saturday, March 3, at the Monticello United Methodist Church. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, at the church with burial at Mt. Muncie Cemetery, Leavenworth. Contributions may be made to the charity of the donor's choice or the Monticello United Methodist Church.

Donald Smith
Donald R. Smith, 67, Spring Hill, died Thursday, April 13, 2000, at the Olathe Medical Center in Olathe. He was born Feb. 17, 1933, in Maskell, Neb., and had lived in Spring Hill the past 23 years. He was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. He was a graduate of San Jose University, San Jose, Calif. He was the manager of the Design Engineering Department for Emerson Electric in Lenexa, retiring after 11 years in 1995. He was a member and current president of the Spring Hill Lions Club, and current president of the Hidden Valley Ranch Homeowners Association in Mission, Texas. He was preceded in death by a son, Dean R. Smith, in 1997. Survivors include his wife, Donna M. Smith, of the home; a daughter, Deena R. Smith, of the home; his mother, Ruth H. Smith, Capitola, Calif.; a sister, Sharon K. Taylor, Yuma, Ariz.; and three grandchildren. Visitation will follow the funeral, which will be 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, at the Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, Olathe. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to the American Heart Association, 6800 W. 93 St., Overland Park, KS 66212.

Perry Smith
Perry Nelson Smith, 70, Topeka, died Saturday, Feb. 10, 2001, at a Topeka care center. Cremation is planned. Memorial services will be at 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, at the Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall, Topeka. Arrangements are being made by Davidson Funeral Home, Topeka.

Scott Smith
Scott Kendall Smith, 38, of Olathe,died Thursday, March 22, 2001, in Hillsdale. He had lived in Olathe since 1994, coming from Philippi, W.Va. He is survived by two sons, Kendall and Jesse Smith, of Olathe; daughter, Canzetta Smith, Olathe; father, Donald Smith, Pekin, Ill.; mother Patricia Ford , Creve Coeur, Ill.; two sisters, Callie Smith, Bellevue, Ill. and Leslie Borum, Poplarville, Miss.; one brother, Quentin Smith, Creve Coeur, Ill.; two nieces; and one nephew. Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 27, at the W.L. Frye and Son Mortuary and Crematory in Olathe. Burial will be in Mount Moriah Cemetery, Kansas City, Mo. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.

W.S. Smothers
W.S. Smothers, 61, Independence, Mo., died Monday, Feb. 21, 2000, at St. Joseph's Health Center in Kansas City. He was born Aug. 15, 1938, in Westridge, Ark., to Will and Bessie Smothers, and had lived in Bucyrus since 1983. He was the owner-operator of Metropolitan Excavating Company, servicing several Kansas City metro areas, specifically Olathe, and doing much of his business with Don Bell Homes. He was a member of the Operating Engineers Union Local 101, Kansas City, Mo. He attended the Overland Park Baptist Temple. He was preceded in death by two brothers, William Young and C.T. Smothers; and a grandson, Daniel Lira. Survivors include two sons, Mark Smothers, Fort Lupton, Colo., and Brock Smothers, Overland Park, Kan.; four daughters, Sally Liakos, Longmont, Colo., Debi Wilkins, Allen, Kan., Brenda Meyer, Joplin, Mo., and Roxi Smothers, Independence, Mo.; four brothers, Tom Smothers, Bucyrus, Jimmy Young, Canton, Miss., Doug Smothers, Vicksburg, Miss., and Sam Smothers, Grinnell, Iowa; two sisters, Jewel Hardin, Marked Tree, Ark., and Lena Mae Reed, Muscatine, Iowa; 11 grandchildren; and one great grandson. The memorial service will be 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Overland Park Baptist Temple, 11648 Antioch Road, Overland Park. Visitation will follow the service. Cremation. The family suggests memorial contributions to the American Cancer Society, 5960 Dearborne, Mission, KS 66202. Arrangements are by the Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, Olathe.

Mabel Snavely
Mabel Marie Snavely, 91, Gardner, died Tuesday, May 29, 2001, at Medical Lodge of Gardner. She was born July 9, 1909, in Mayetta, Kan., the daughter of Hugh Jackson and Stella Frances (Smith) Baker. She moved to Silver Lake in 1932 and then to Gardner in March of 1997. She worked at Security Benefit Hospital, Western Stationery Company and Parkview Drug, all in Topeka. She married Paul Hunter Snavely on June 1, 1930, in Circleville, Kan. He died Feb. 1, 1984. She was a 65-year member of the Silver Lake United Methodist Church and served as president of the United Methodist Women (WSCS) in 1952. She was a graduate of the Menninger Bible Course and a 55-year member of Loyal Chapter No. 176 O.E.S. of Silver Lake, Kan. She is survived by a daughter, June Marie Blush, Silver Lake; a son, Ralph Paul Snavely, Gardner; a sister, Frances Johnston, Overland Park; six grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. Friday at Parker-Price Mortuary, Topeka. Funeral services will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at the mortuary. Burial will be at Silver Lake Cemetery. The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Silver Lake United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 188, Silver Lake, KS 66539.

Donald Snedegar
Donald Ray Snedegar, 78, of Belton, Mo., died Friday, April 20, 2001, at his home. He was born Aug. 22, 1922, in Friar's Hill, W.Va., the son of Albert and Laura Etta (Ray) Snedegar. He served in the US Navy in both the Atlantic and Pacific theatres during World War II. He retired in 1983 from TWA as director of facilities, equipment engineering and maintenance after 25 years. Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Hildred (Judy) Snedegar; their three children, daughter Vivian Mouser and husband Dan of Ballwin, Mo.; son James M. Snedegar and wife Lynda of Gladstone, Mo.; and daughter Carol Edds and husband David of Olathe; two sisters, Melissa Wall and Ethel Williams of Greenbrier County, W.Va.; and eight grandchildren. Services will be at 2 p.m. today at Memorial Chapel of Olathe.

Wahnona Snowbarger
Wahnona Ruth Snowbarger, 77, died Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2000, at Royal Terrace Care Center in Olathe. She had lived in Olathe since 1986. Prior to moving to Olathe to be near her children and grandchildren, she had lived in Bradley, Ill., and in Overland Park. She was born Feb. 5, 1923, in Dallas, Texas, to James and Velma Horger. She graduated from Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla., in 1945 with a bachelor's degree in fine arts. She also had extensive post-graduate work in organ performance. She married Willis Snowbarger on Jan. 31, 1943. She had been a music teacher in Momence, Ill.; the Center School District, Kansas City, Mo.; and Stilwell and DeSoto. She had also served as church organist at College Church of the Nazarene in Bourbonnais, Ill., and at First Church of the Nazarene, Kansas City, Mo. She was a member of College Church of the Nazarene in Olathe. She was preceded in death by a brother, J.C. Horger Jr. Survivors include her husband of 57 years, Willis; a son, Vince Snowbarger, Olathe; a daughter, Delia Pitman, Olathe; a sister, Frances Sutton, Candy Cove, Texas; and five grandchildren. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, Olathe. The memorial service will be 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, at College Church of the Nazarene, Olathe. The family suggests memorial contributions to scholarship funds at Mid-America Nazarene University, Olathe, or at Olivet Nazarene University, Kankakee, Ill.